In recession, don't forget women's struggle
- Source: Global Times
- [23:59 October 18 2009]
- Comments
History shows us some great examples of this. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Lady, a strong advocate forwomen worldwide.
She was in the White House 80 years ago during the Great Depression. She managed to work closely with Harry Hopkins, a close advisor of President Roosevelt.The results were clear: The New Deal programs for the unemployed and down-andout clearly targeted women, at a time when many still thought their place was in the home.
In its first year of existence, the Civil Works Administration, a precursor to the Works Progress Administration, employed 100,000 women. Congress enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act. Maximum hours and minimum wages were fi rst passed to protect women workers.
Eighty years later, we are in the middle of a financial crisis again. Mega-budget stimulus packages are being issued by governments around the world. However, there is almost no mention as to how women specifi cally will be supported by these plans.
Women have made strides both at the workplace and in society.
There are female presidents, prime ministers, ministers and activists, and active First Ladies. In business, an increasing number of women are sitting on the boards of gigantic companies as we speak. A female economist from the US just won the Nobel Prize in Economics, a first for a woman.
None of this came easily, though, but was the result of incentives and policies.
Once again, the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's White House days might help us to understand this necessity.
As a First Lady, she tried to promote women journalists at a time when men dominated newsrooms and press pools. She ran a weekly press conference through much of her tenure in the White House and only allowed women reporters in. Many famous women journalists got their start in those press conferences.
Now, there are many women in the press briefi ng rooms. But it can still be headline news for weeks if a woman is to anchor any big-name evening news on major TV networks. Female journalists are always been encouraged to do lifestyle stories or celebrity interviews, instead of being encouraged to cover more serious issues.
Eleanor Roosevelt was an extraordinary woman who transcended societal and cultural expectations to be one of the most powerful advocates of her time. It is unrealistic that we are going to see her cloned in every culture, in every fi eld, at all times. That is why instead we must act collectively to turn this crisis into opportunities.
Tian Wei is the host of “Dialogue” on CCTV's English Channel, and the main anchor of CCTV's special coverage of important domestic and international events. Previously, Tian worked in Washington D.C. as a correspondent, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her blog is http://blog.cctv.com/html/09/960109.html. Reach her at tianwei.gt@gmail.com
